An online survey by Southam-based baby carrier company Wilkinet found that expectant mums preferred not to venture out in the cold to protect their bump and unborn baby.

Gideon Wilkins, who runs the online business, says he benefited from the freezing weather conditions.

He said: “With mums-to-be staying at home to avoid the weather it appears that they have been doing more of their shopping for baby online instead. Our website, wilkinet.co.uk did much better, visitor numbers increased and sales doubled.”

Wilkinet, which operates from Pendicke Street in Southam, designs and supplies baby products directly to parents by mail order and to retailers around the country.

Mr Wilkins added: “Thankfully the post still got through as it’s an important service for our business, but we can understand why pregnant women would prefer to stay safely at home instead.”

Wilkinet’s most popular product is a baby carrier designed by Mr Wilkins’ mother over 30 years ago so she could comfortably carry him and his siblings when they were babies.



and nappy site is busier than ever

A total of 32,000 auctions have been listed on www.usednappies.co.uk since Leamington mum of two Sarah Bennett set up the site in April 2007.

The website provides an auction service for parents to buy and sell used washable nappies. After its launch the Used Nappy Company was soon the number one site in the UK for second-hand cloth nappies, with more than 1,000 auctions listed every month.

Sarah said: “Many parents love the funky designs, the comfort factor for their babies and that washable nappies have been proved, without a doubt, to be better for the environment.

“And the fact that parents can save hundreds of pounds, in these credit-crunch times, compared to the cost of disposables, is a huge bonus.

“Parents can now also sell baby, children’s and maternity clothes and other baby related items on the site.

“Approximately eight million disposable nappies are thrown away every day in the UK, with the majority of these ending up in landfill. Washable cloth nappies offer parents an alternative to disposables, providing the opportunity to reduce their total household waste and the impact on the environment.

“Faced with fortnightly rather than weekly waste collection and the threat of tax on waste, now is the ideal time for more parents to try out cloth nappies. Parents can make a significant difference to the amount of waste they dispose of.”

www.usednappies.co.uk